Apparatus for testing coins



April 20, 1937. D. TR Y' 2,077,596

APPARATUS FOR TESTING COINS Filed June 1, 1956 Witnesses I Inventor Patented Apro 20, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application June 1,

2 Claims.

The invention relates to the art of coin testing; and the object is to provide a novel, simple, inexpensive, and reliable apparatus for selectively receiving coins of relatively low electrical conductivity,such as United States nickels, Cu-

ban five-centavo pieces, French twenty-fiveand fifty-centime pieces, and numerous other coins and for rejecting slugs and improper and counterfeit coins commonly used in imitation of such coins of low conductivity in coin controlled apparatus.

The drawing shows three views of an apparatus in which the invention is reduced to practice,Fig. 1 being a front elevation, Fig. 2 a

view from the same angle with the commonfront wall of .the coin ways (and related parts) removed,-and Fig. 3 an end view,-and which apparatus, for convenience, will be assumed to 0 be designed to operate with a coin controlled H0 machine in which it is desired to receive the United States nickel.

The method of the present invention consists essentially in blocking by means of a magnetic field the progress through a coin way of checks 25 having higher characteristics than, say, nickels for conductivity of eddy currents induced by the magnetic field, and of permeable checks; and in subjecting checks which have not been blocked by the magnetic field to a test of resilience and of mass in which test the initial velocity and direction of such checks is unrelated to the velocity and direction of such checks upon emergence from said field.

With reference now to the typical reduction of the method illustrated in the drawing:

The coin ways of the apparatus are formed by two fiat members, I and 2, of which I is the common front wall (of. Fig. 1) of the coin ways which are seen in Fig. 2 to be channels in member 2. These two members are held together by capscrews at 3, 3, 3, 3; and 2 is provided with lugs at 4, 4, 4, to facilitate attachment of the apparatus to certain classes of coin machines. 5 is the common coin inlet; 6 the outlet for nickels; I the outlet for rejects. Lugs are provided at both outlets to facilitate the attachment of related coin ways. Means for producing a magnetic field of predetermined strength across the upper part of the coin way are best seen in Fig. 3, where a coil and its coretwo laminated iron sections 8 and 9, supported by lugs I0, II, and I2, joined together at the bottom (at lug I I), and separated from each other by an air gap at the top through which the coin way passes (cf. Fig. 2)--are in plain view. On the front of the apparatus, pivoted just beneath the core at lugs I3 and II, is an armature I4, normally removed from the core by gravity, and extending down from which, at an angle less than ninety degrees, is an arm I5, normally resting vertically 1936, Serial No. 82,898

against the face of member I except near the lower extremity of said arm, which, being bent inward, protrudes through a slot (of. Fig. 1) in member I and serves as a detent to block passage of checks into that part of the coin ways leading to outlet 6. The normal locus of the detent, when the arm is resting vertically against the face of member I, is indicated in Fig. 2 by a dotted rectangle. When the electromagnet is energized the attraction of the armature I4 serves to withdraw the detent at the extremity of arm l5 from the coin way and to clear the passage to outlet 6. I6 is an anvil or bounding block, fixed in the apparatus. The member I1 is a small cantilever of predetermined mass and freedom of pivotal movement, pivoted within the coin ways just beneath the core, as shown. I! normally assumes the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 2, and so presents a certain interference to checks approaching the outlet 6. No means are shown for switching on and off the electromagnet, as such means are unrelated to the method and are well known. It is assumed, of course, that the magnetic field is existent upon the approach of an introduced check, and remains so for a suitable period. While the field is energized the only obstruction in the coin ways is member H, which is unaffected by the field. Upon deenergization, the armature I4 and the detent at the extremity of the arm I5 resume their normal positions.

It will be noticed in Fig. 2 that the coin way is so designed that the velocity of a check approaching the polar gap of the magnet is predetermined within such limits as the outside variations of mass of the different classes of checks permits. The differences of mass do not cause checks to accumulate appreciable differ ences of velocity before reaching the field, as a study of Fig. 2 manifests. The velocity of a check is, in fact, zero at the moment of striking the fioor of the runway beneath the inlet orifice. The declivity of the runway through the polar gap is extremely slight; specifically, the character of the declivity is such that, with relation to the strength of the field, the low-conductivity coin desired to be received,-i. e., the nickel, receives just sufiicient momentum to roll it through the field in spite of the effects of induction within it of eddy currents. Beyond the polar gap the axis of the coin way is deflected substantially ninety degrees downward so that checks'which have passed through the field are momentarily deprived of whatever velocity such checks have accumulated before reaching the deflection, and are then caused to drop (here vertically) onto the anvil. Thus, all checks which have passed through the field have a predetermined initial velocity and direction, at the beginning of the resilience and mass test, unrelated to the efiects of induction, if any; and unrelated, further, to other factors governing the previous behavior of such checks. All checks which have passed through the field reach the anvil under substantially common conditions. The interrelations between the height of the drop, the character of the anvil, the resilience of the check desired to be received, and the accommodations of the coin Ways are such that the proper check, in the type of apparatus shown, takes, on rebounding from the anvil, a trajectory toward outlet 6. The freedom of pivotal movement and the mass of member I! are such that the momentum of the proper coin,-i. e., the nickel,is suflicient, in rebounding from the anvil, to swing member I! to a position such as that shown in Fig. 2 in dotted lines and thus reach outlet 6. The characteristics of member I! are such that checks rebounding from the anvil in the direction of outlet 6 with less than the momentum of the proper check, on its rebound, cannot adequately remove member I! from their paths, and so collapse in flight and are rejected through outlet I.

It will be readily understood from the foregoing that a nickel introduced at position a drops to the upper part of the inclined runway passing through the polar gap, rolls downward through position b and through the field, momentarily stops at position 0, drops onto the anvil, rebounds from position d, swings member I! out of its path, and reaches the outlet 6 at position e.

A dielectric check having less mass than a nickel, but considerable resilience,-such as a celluloid, glass, or fibre check, or a check of certain kinds of paper, wood, bakelite, mahoganite, earth, wax, or rubber, or a check of paper having a nonmagnetic rim of such inconsiderable cross section and shape as to have practically no conductivity for eddy currents induced by the field,-- is, of course, not arrested by the field, and drops to the anvil, from which it rebounds with a trajectory somewhat similar to that of nickels during the first part of their flight; but the insufiicient mass of the check renders the adequate displacement of member I! impossible, and the check drops downward to rejection through outlet 1.

A dielectric check having less mass than a nickel, and inconsiderable resilience,such as a check of soft wood, soft paper, or of other less common substances,--or a metallic check having substantially the same conductivity as a nickel for eddy currents induced by the field, or having less conductivity, and having less resilience than a nickel,such as a check of lead, babbitt, solder, or of type metal,is, like the above-mentioned kind of check, not arrested by the field; but it does not rebound from the anvil with any appreciable momentum,,if, in fact, it rebounds at all,and so rolls to rejection through outlet 1.

A permeable check,such as an iron or steel slug, a Canadian five-cent piece, one of certain kinds of Swiss and Austrian coins, or a paper check having a substantial permeable metal rim,-or a metallic check having higher characteristics of conductivity for eddy currents than a nickel,such as a copper, aluminum, duralumin, zinc, brass, or bronze slug, or a check of certain common white metal alloys, or a United States penny or one of a certain other kinds of nonmagnetic coins,is blocked by the magnetic field at the position b (of. of Fig. 2), and remains there until the field is deenergized. Upon deenergization, the check rolls downward, drops onto the anvil, and, incidentally, rebounds according to its resilience; but the detent formed by the bent extremity of arm I5 is at that time within the coin way, thus preventing access to outlet 6. The check is rejected, after, perhaps, some slight ricocheting, through outlet 1.

The drawing may be referred to as an index of actual feasible dimensions. However, the invention may be reduced to practice with still less employment of space. Of course, for practical use, an alternating current magnet should be used, and the magnet shown in the drawing is assumed to be of that class. Generally, any pulsating current may be used to energize the field, but the danger of residual magnetism in hard steel checks is obviated by the employment of alternating current.

In the claims, the word check is used as a generic term for coin, slug, or any imitation of a coin.

I claim:

1. In apparatus of the class described, a runway for checks arranged to govern mechanically the velocity of checks introduced therein; an electromagnet arranged to produce across said runway a magnetic field strong enough to arrest in said runway checks having certain characteristics of conductivity for eddy currents induced by said field and not strong enough so to arrest other checks; means arranged to bring checks which have passed through said field to a momentary stopyan anvil; means arranged to cause checks after resumption of motion following said stop to strike said anvil in a manner common to all such checks; outlets arranged to receive checks rebounding from said anvil in accordance with the trajectories of such checks; a detent of certain inertia arrangedto block one of said outlets against all checks except those having a certain. resilience and mass; and another detent controlled by said electromagnet and arranged to block said last named outlet against all checks when said field is deenergized, substantially as set forth.

2. In apparatus of the class described, a runway for United States five-cent pieces arranged 'produce across said runway a magnetic field strong enough to arrest in said runway checks having higher characteristics of conductivity for eddy currents induced by said field than United States five-cent pieces, and to arrest checks having substantial magnetic permeability, and not strong enough to arrest in said runway United States five-cent pieces and other checks; means arranged to bring to a momentary stop United States five-cent pieces and other checks which have passed through said field; an anvil; means arranged to cause United States five-cent pieces and other checks after resumption of motion following said stop to strike said anvil from a common direction; outlets arranged to receive checks rebounding from said anvil in accordance with the trajectories of such checks; a detent of certain inertia arranged to block one of said outlets against all checks having upon rebounding from said anvil trajectories substantially equal to the mean trajectory of United States five-cent pieces in so rebounding but which have less mass than United States five-cent pieces; and another detent controlled by said electromagnet and arranged to block said last named outlet against all checks when said field is deenergized, substantially as set forth.

DANIEL TROY. 

